A family enjoying a fun-loving family barbecue had some unexpected visitors crash the party!
You will never guess where this happened…ok…maybe you will…it’s obviously Australia!
Australia is home to some wild and crazy big species of spiders, snakes and even crabs! When you think of crabs, you think of a modest, medium sized hard shelled tasty treat of the ocean…but Australia is home to Coconut Crabs…and they are far from ‘medium-sized’.
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These monstrous crustaceans are native to islands across the Indian Ocean, parts of the Pacific Ocean and of course Australia.
These big boys can also be quite dangerous.
Growing up to eighteen inches long and 9 pounds in weight, coconut crabs have been known to rip open coconuts with their claws (hence the namesake), hunt and capture kittens, and devour large birds of prey.
According to a recent study, the coconut crab pincer generates up to an estimated 740 pound-force – around 4 to 5 times stronger than the force the human jaw can produce.
If you were to encounter these tough guys, you would probably want to run in the opposite direction – right? Most would…but there are some who welcome them with open arms! Like this family below!
Amy Luetich and her family, who live on one of the secluded Christmas Islands, just off the coast of Western Australia, were enjoying a family barbecue when they were interrupted by some unexpected visitors.
Before they knew it…their party was invaded by crabs!
Their little get-together was swarming with around fifty coconut crabs.
Amy told the Daily Mail Australia that, when they arrived to the camping spot, there were twenty of the crustaceans under a tree, which had started to seed.
“But as soon as we started cooking, they swarmed around us. My son counted fifty-two of them,” she explained.
Despite all the new guests…the family continued on with their BBQ!
And Amy’s son, Jacob, was given the job of keeping them away from the food.
“His job was to pick them up and move them away from where we were eating. He was loving it.”
And started to climb onto the tables, chairs, and barbecue itself. Amy explained:
“Then they started to climb up to the table, and another climbed onto the barbecue. We kept our tents away from where we had eaten, but one of the families said the whole night they could feel one tapping on the outside of their tent.”